Safety-clasp for bracelets, necklaces, and similar articles of jewelry.



i U. STRAUSS & G. ROMMEL. SAFETY CLASP FOR BRACELETS, NEUKLAOES, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES OF JEWELRY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1913.

1,094,947, Patentd Apr. 28, 1914.

' ildfltomw 8 UTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES STRAUSS AND GEORGE ROMMEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

eonora Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

Application filed March 21, 1913. Serial No. 755,910.

To alt whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES S'rRAUss and Gnoncn ROMMEL, citizens of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety-Clasps for Bracelets, Necklaces, and Similar Articles of Jewelry, of which the following is a specification.

This application relates to safety clasps for bracelets, necklaces, and similar articles of jewelry and has for its object to provide a clasp which while not difficult to open or close when operated in the intended manner, cannot become accidentally released, and cannot be surreptitiously released without the knowledge of the wearer.

A further object of our invention is to provide a clasp of this character which is of simple and inexpensive construction and which does not in any way detract from the ornamented appearance of the article of jewelry.

The invent-ion is set fort-h in the following description and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein we have shown our improved clasp applied to a bracelet and also to a necklace, but it is to be understood that the same may be appropriately modified for other articles without departing from the scope of the invention.

In the said drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bracelet equipped with our improved clasp. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the clasp portion of the same; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same with the clasp open; Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the clasp open instead of fastened; Figs. 6, 7, and 8 show a necklace clasp embodying our invention in side elevation, plan and longitudinal section re spectively.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Figs. 1 to 5, '1 indicates the body of the bracelet shown here as hollow as is usual in such constructions and composed of two parts hinged together at 2 and connected by our improved clasp at their opposite meeting ends. This clasp comprises a tongue 3 projecting from one of the meeting ends 4 and formed by a U-shaped piece of metal, preferably the same metal as the bracelet but alloyed to be resilient. One end of the tongue 3 projects into the hollow bracelet and is riveted to the adjacentwall while the free end of the U terminates slightly beyond the end 4 so that when the tongue is thrust into the other hollow end 5 of the bracelet its edge will engage behind an inturned flange 6 on the outer face of the bracelet. For pressing in the free end of the clasp to release the same, there is riveted to the outer surface of the free end of the clasp a rib 7 which projects through suitable slots in the wall of the bracelet for convenient engagement by .the wearer.

The above described clasp will obviously hold the bracelet fast as long as the parts remain engaged but any pressure or blow on the rib 7 will disengage the clasp, and permit the bracelet to drop or be removed without knowledge of the wearer. To prevent this we provide a latch 8 comprising a longitudinal member pivoted at one end to the upper face of the fixed member of the tongue 3 near the bend of the U and adapt ed at its other end to engage under the end of the rib 7 when the latch is in line with the tongue as shown in Fig. 2 and prevent its release. In order that the latch may be easily manipulated when it is desired to remove the bracelet we provide the same with a projection 10 at its free end comprising a narrow portion to lie behind the end of the rib 7 and an angular part 10 to lie over the face and edge of the bracelet as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the edge of the end 5 of the bracelet being provided with a small slit 11 so that the latch can be swung outward. The other side of the end 4 of the bracelet adjacent the rib 7 is provided with a shoulder 12 similar in appearance to the part 10 of the latch so that when the bracelet is fastened the visible parts of the latch appear to be integral with the end of the bracelet and the appearance of the same is not there by marred.

In Figs. 6, 7, and 8 we have shown our invention applied as a' clasp for a necklace. In this case one end of the chain or other flexible piece is attached to a short tubular me1nber 20 having an inturned flange 21 on one face of its open end. To the other end of the chain we attach a U-shaped tongue 22 having a notch in the outer face of its unattached end for engagement with the flange 21. Pivoted to the other member of the tongue is a latch 23 having an up-turned projecting end 24 adapted to be engaged by the finger of the wearer to adjust the latch from locked position as shown in Fig. 8 and in full lines in Fig. 7 in which the latch fills the space between the two portions of the tongue to its free position permitted by a slot 25 in the side of the member 20 as shown in Fig. 7 in dotted lines.

The operation of our improved clasp will be obvious from the above description. The safety latch adds but little to the cost of the clasp and is not noticeable except on close inspection. By giving the parts a snug fit the latch cannot be jarred loose and as it has to be pulled out instead of merely pressed it is impossible for it to be accidentally displaced by a blow or otherwise. To better hold the safety latch against accidental dis placement the projections 10 and 2a of the latch members 8 and n3 may if desired be provided with ribs 9 and 25 respectively, for engaging corresponding grooves 9 and 25 in the rear faces of the tongues 3 and 20, as shown more particularly in Figs. 3 and 7.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the class described, the combination of telescoping clasp members, the outer of said members having an internal shoulder and the inner member comprising members comprising a U-shaped resilient A tongue, having one fixed and one free part, and a safety latch pivoted to the inner face of the fixed part to hold the parts against relative movement and movable from be tween the parts of said tongue to permit disengagement of said members, said other clasp member having a slot in its side to permit movement of said latch.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands at the city, county and State of New York, this 15th day of March, 1918.

CHARLES STRAUSS. GEORGE ROMMEL. \Vitnesses Emu GASENOVE, JOHN PANKRATZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0. 

